Marathon bombings: Runners bear blue and yellow to support Boston

Boston Marathon runner Vu Trang, of San Francisco, kisses her two-year-old daughter Cara at a makeshift memorial on Boylston Street near the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed at least three and injured more than 140, in Boston, Wednesday, April 17, 2013. The bombs that blew up seconds apart near the finish line left the streets spattered with blood and glass, and gaping questions of who chose to attack at the Boston Marathon and why. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

People congregate at Boston Common for a vigil for the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions, Tuesday, April 16, 2013, one day after bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

BOSTON -- As Marie Swanson strolled by the Christian Science Center reflecting pool in the heart of the downtown Wednesday morning, she proudly wore her blue-and-yellow Boston Marathon jacket.

The 50-year-old from a suburb of Dallas said she was still donning the windbreaker two days after running in the 26.2-mile race to offer her support to a city rocked by the bombings Monday that left three dead and more than 170 injured.

"It is part of a conscious effort to show solidarity to the city in the midst of this tragedy because of how wonderful people have been to us and how great the city is," Swanson said.

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On Wednesday, downtown Boston remained a sea of neon blue and yellow as both runners and volunteers from across the country and world wore Boston Marathon gear, with many saying they did so to pay tribute.

"You just want to support the city in any way you can because everyone has been so friendly and to support those who did not make it," said Terri Anne Soukoroff, 41, of Canada, who wore a marathon windbreaker and a newly-purchased Boston Red Sox hat.

Glenn Kishi, a 51-year-old from San Jose, Calif., who ran his fourth Boston Marathon on Monday, said it wasn't unusual for those who finish the race to wear marathon gear to celebrate their accomplishment in the day or two after.

But Kishi said it was clear on Tuesday and Wednesday that those wearing blue and yellow were doing so for more weighty reasons.

"This year it is a more somber show of support for everyone," he said. "It is no longer about the marathon, it is about the victims, those who passed away. I don't think anyone wearing the jackets is celebrating anything."

Kishi wore his marathon jacket and yellow running shirt as he walked around Copley Square, taking photos to make sure he did not forget the week's events.

A salesperson at the "Life in Boston" store at the Prudential Center downtown said sales of Marathon gear post-race were brisker than usual.

Some dressed in marathon colors also wore medals they received for competing in the race around their necks to demonstrate solidarity with the city.

"I'm not taking mine off for a month or so," said Dean Simon, 45, of Newfoundland, Canada. Simon, who came within a half-mile of finishing the race, also planned a late Wednesday run around Boston Common while wearing his marathon jacket and medal to pay tribute to Boston.

Not all runners still in Boston were initially eager to wear their marathon clothes.

"I did not want to wear it right after the deaths because what happened was so much more important than me running the race," the 61-year-old Gusman said. "But now I feel a little better wearing it."